The Trotzamore Stratagem: Epilogue

“This way! I think I saw it impact over here!”

Fancy Pants was leading his love Fleur-de-Lis and his social circle down the streets of Canterlot, towards a particularly rough-looking impact site.

The road was severely broken up when Rachelle Ruby landed on it, and now her powers were slipping right off of her fingers. She lay there amongst the wrecked stonework, broken and defeated… and about to finally be free.

The redness of her skin and mane slowly dissipated, and transformed into a warm yellow tint as the party finally found its way to her. Her Cutie Mark, a pair of rubies gouged in black fire, reformed into a pair of glimmering yellow stones. The crown of rubies broke away, and the shards of ruby landed on the ground and gradually became shards of copper.

Rachelle Ruby had changed back into the pony she was before.

Fancy Pants’ party gasped when they saw her. Gerard Gelato himself broke through the crowd, and looked on in the purest expression of shock and astonishment.

“Oh… my… stars…”

He collapsed to his knees on the spot, and inched his way over to his love… his love whom was supposed to be dead. His mouth hung open in disbelief.

“By jove…” Fancy Pants whispered. “It’s her.”

“Who?” asked Fleur-de-Lis.

Finally, his face was hovering right over hers, as the pony formerly known as Rachelle Ruby began to stir.

“Ch-Ch-Ch… Chell?”

Her bright purple eyes slowly opened. As her vision cleared, she looked up to see the face of her beloved and gasped.

“Gerard…” she whispered in a delicate voice, touching his face.

Chell Copper sat up instantly at the sight of her own light yellow hoof. Examining her body all over, her face lit up in pure ecstasy.

“It’s… It’s me again! THE NIGHTMARE IS OVER!” She proudly kissed her yellow gemstone Cutie Mark. “No more craziness! No more chaos! No more wild sex! NO MORE RUBIES! Oh, it’s so good to be back!”

“You’re telling me!” said Gerard, as tears streamed down his face. “You’re alive! I simply cannot believe it!” He stood up and announced it to the world. “CHELL COPPER IS ALIIIIVE!”

The entire crowd cheered and applauded. Fancy Pants clapped wildly.

“Oh! Good show, good show indeed!”

Fleur smiled, and leaned on Fancy’s neck.

“Young love is so beautiful, is it not?”

“Goodness! What ever happened to you?” said Gerard, as he helped his old flame up and dusted her off. “What’s say you and I go back to my house, and…”

“NO! N-NEVER AGAIN!” Chell shrieked, her eyes darting wide open.

“…and have some lovely brunch before catching up, eh?”

“Oh. … Heh-heh.”

---

“The two ponies Rarity and Fluttershy showed us just how strong and passionate their love really is, and we owe them many thanks for opening our eyes. We have waited far too long to bring acceptance of this interaction to our dwelling. And so, from this day forth, I, Zalona the Zen Mistress of the Mareianna Village of Tranquil Village do proudly decree… LET THE MARE-AMORERS AND COLT-ADORERS COME TOGETHER! EAT, DRINK, AND BE MARRIED!”

The villagers rejoiced. The Gemstone, having been returned to its position on the shrine, glowed more strongly than ever. Zalona walked over to Princess Celestia, who had been watching the event from next to the shrine.

“Thank you very much for returning the Orb of the Ancients to our village personally, Princess. We give you our gratitude, for we are now in your debt.”

“It was my pleasure, Zen Mistress Zalona. It’s very nice to see you again.”

“Yes, indeed… How many years ago was it that you last came to the Mareianna Village?”

“A thousand years…” she replied solemnly.

“Yes, now I remember… You came to us to in need of much healing… Only our village could provide what you needed to help recover from the actions you took…”

“And it is I who should be forever grateful to you for that,” said Celestia. “One of these days, I’ll schedule for myself a more proper revisit. Your village looks like it’s grown wonderfully over the years, and I’d love to see just how much it’s flourishing. For now, though, I have… some important business to intend to.”

“Of course,” Zalona chuckled. “Farewell, Celestia. Until our destines are intertwined again.”

As the Princess flew away, Zalona closed her eyes as if concentrating, and began to snicker.

“Well, well, well, Princess… It seems you’re finally following my advice after all…”

---

Zorophyllis, the most excited of all, ran up to her crush.

“Zamber, isn’t this great? Now we can finally--”

Zamber turned to her and just glared.

“I mean… unless you don’t want to, then that’s fine too, I mean, there’s always more fish in the--”

But she was stopped as Zamber suddenly pulled her close and kissed her hard on the lips. Zorophyllis was more shocked than anything else. Both of their faces were red.

“Tell anypony else about this and I will bash you with that spear.”

Zime and Zammi were watching the scene from afar.

“Aww, how sweet… again!” said Zammi.

“Ugh, the ladies here are all too sweet for my tastes,” Zime lamented. “Perhaps I could benefit from this new law too… if only there were other males in this village.”

Zammi giggled.

But just then, they heard a weak voice approach the shrine.

“Please… help me…”

They all turned around to see a blue pony, looking well past his glory days. His hair was white and mangled, and he had two buttons for a Cutie Mark.

“This… this is the fabled Mareianna Village of Tranquil Spirits, isn’t it?” he spoke. “Please. My name is Button Down, and I have come here to seek healing. I have led a dirty and sin-filled life, and been made a rotten stallion as a result. My heart is now filled with nothing but regret; to say nothing of the mares all over Equestria whose hearts have been broken of my perversions! Please, if you have it in your hearts… HELP ME.”

Button Down landed at Zime’s hooves and fell unconscious. A wily smile spread across Zime’s lips as he picked Button up and hoisted him onto his back.

“Sure, pal. Let’s get started right away that healing…”

---

“Can I just say that it was rather fun catching up with you again, Princess?” Discord stated. “But, seriously… must it really always end this way?”

Six unicorns from Celestia’s royal guard were positioned around Discord, as his feet remained magically bound to a pedestal.

Princess Celestia approached him up close.

“Discord… you’ve caused chaos time and time again, wreaking havoc and causing trouble for everypony. But this… was perhaps one of your worst offences. Even if you weren’t directly involved with the disaster as you say, you still helped to instigate its events, and spread terror over the land. Besides… you crossed the line when you kidnapped my sister regardless.”

“Well, if that’s the way it has to be… then bring it on! Ooh, look at this! I’ll even pose for you in the same one I was in before! Get your camera ready, Lesty! And… CHEESE!”

Discord took a deep breath and indeed positioned himself into the same screaming pose he held the last time that he was forced into stone by Twilight and her friends. The six unicorns unleashed their spell, and within a matter of seconds, the god of chaos was a stone sculpture once more.

“Take him back to the Sculpture Garden,” said Celestia. “And let’s keep a guard on post from now on.”

As Discord was taken away, Celestia felt a soft tap on the leg.

“Um… excuse me, Princess Celestia?”

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked disturbed as she watched the statue being carried away by the six unicorns.

“I was just wondering if… the next time that Discord is released…” She turned to Celestia with sad eyes. “…could you please cut him a bit of slack?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I know that he’s mean and kind of cruel, but what he said about helping us to defeat Rachelle Ruby was true,” Fluttershy explained. “In fact, we wouldn’t have saved Equestria without him. I know it’s a bit crazy, but I believe, that… deep down inside, he may not be such a bad guy after all.”

With a sad smile on her face, she picked up a blue rose off the ground and laid it over Discord’s petrified horn.

“Maybe he just needs some friends.”

Princess Celestia took a second to ponder Fluttershy’s kind words, and bowed gracefully.

“If that’s what you wish, then… I may consider it, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, thank you, Princess.”

“Now, then… let’s proceed to the main room. We have a very special process to undertake.”

She and Fluttershy walked back to the castle together. As they did so, Celestia gazed at the pedestal once more.

Perhaps… there really is somepony in Equestria who can reform him after all…

---

“But I truly am very, very sorry for what I said to you back there. It was extremely rude and unladylike of me, beyond belief… and I can tell you right now, I really didn’t mean any of it. Could you find it in your heart to forgive me, Apricot Blossom?”

“Oh, of course I can!” Apricot Blossom shrugged it off. “It’s all in the past, right? Not only that, but it was my fault anyway! I shouldn’t have tried to push you into giving me a chance when you clearly weren’t comfortable about it, especially since the sign said ‘Stallions of Ponyville’ in the first place. And besides… I’m happy now too.”

Minuette stood at the doorway of the castle. “Are we ready to go now, Apricot?”

“Yup! I’ll be there in a minute, sunshine!” She turned back to Rarity and shook her head. “Well, I really appreciate you coming all the way here to Canterlot to apologize to me, Miss Rarity, and I’m glad you’ve done well for yourself ever since that whole fiasco. Hey, we should catch up again sometime, maybe we could even go on a double date at the L'impertinente Polpette!”

“Erm, yes, that would be lovely…” Rarity hesitantly agreed. “Ta-ta until then. Thank you for being so forgiving, darling!”

“No problem!” she called from outside.

“Ohh… I still regret seeking a translation on that… unfortunate name for a restaurant,” Rarity lamented. She sighed it off and refocused herself. “Alright…”

As Apricot Blossom and Minuette left, Rarity checked “APOLOGIZE TO THAT MARE I YELLED AT DURING SPEED DATING” off of her list. “APOLOGIZE TO SWEETIE BELLE” was written below it.

“Next, I should apologize to my precious sister for… practically traumatizing her into believing she and Spike were fated to break apart.”

“Rarity!” called Fluttershy. “We’re ready now!”

“…I guess that’ll have to wait.”

---

A bright white orb was all that stood in the room apart from the regal ruler of Equestria, and the happy couple.

“This orb is a physical link to the power held over Trotzamore,” Celestia explained. “My guards found it on Discord’s person, so this must be what he was using to allow Trotzamore to give him power.”

Rarity and Fluttershy both gazed at the orb’s splendiferousness. Yes, that’s a word.

“Now then… I want you both to close your eyes.”

They did as she said.

“Picture it all in your mind. Your hopes and your desires. Your pet peeves. Your funny quirks. Your personalities. Your identities.”

A single green light began to form inside of the orb.

“Trotzamore is looking at your DNA as we speak. However, it pays more attention to your thoughts. So just keep on thinking…”

The light grew bigger and bigger.

“And finally… picture a name. The best possible name you can think of.”

The two of them remained silent for several seconds. But finally, Rarity opened her eyes and turned to Fluttershy.

“I think Gem is absolutely perfect. What do you think, Fluttershy?”

“Yeah…” Fluttershy smiled. “Gem sounds like a wonderful name.”

“So it shall be,” Celestia commanded, bowing to the orb.

The green light finally materialized into a small shape. The shape swam its way to the edge of the orb, where Fluttershy and Rarity huddled up to meet it. It touched Rarity’s side first, and then Fluttershy’s.

Finally, a child’s voice echoed from inside.

“Gem.”

They both smiled wide, as a small tear run down Fluttershy’s cheek. The shape swam back to the center of the orb and gradually faded away.

“Trotzamore will care for it for now,” Celestia explained to them. “It will take nine whole months for Gem to fully develop and mature into a healthy foal.”

“Nine months… sounds a like a typical pony pregnancy,” Rarity noted.

“Thank you very much for helping us, Princess Celestia,” said Fluttershy.

“Yes, indeed. Many thanks, Princess.”

“It was my utmost pleasure.” She cleared her throat. “I hope to see you here again in nine months. That’ll be plenty of time for you to think, and prepare for the future, I hope.”

Rarity and Fluttershy turned to walk out of the room.

“Oh, and by the way…” said Celestia. “In case you were wondering… it looked a like a filly to me.”

Rarity gave a soft phew.

“Thank goodness. I don’t know what I would’ve done with a colt. Colts don’t like to play dress-up as much, do they?”

Fluttershy giggled. Right before she walked out with Rarity, though, she realized something.

“Oh, Princess! I was just wondering, where is your sister, Princess Luna? I haven’t seen her around.”

Celestia smiled softly.

“She is saying goodbye to an old friend.”

“Oh… ”

---

Princess Luna and Lilac Candescence stood in the Field of Trotzamore. The Power Stone cast its brilliant pink aura before them.

“I think it’s time for me to go,” said Lilac. “Luna… it was extremely wonderful to see you again.”

“And you as well. Oh, Lilac… one more hug, please.”

Lilac accepted her offer, and embraced her former teacher in a final hug.

“It has been fun, Luna. My life before… and the time I was able to spend with you now.”

“I really wish you didn’t have to go.”

“Neither do I… but we all have to go sometime, right? And besides, I’m sure Sepia Tone and my daughter probably miss me.”

Luna chuckled.

“Speaking of Moondancer… don’t forget to give my regards to my great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- great-great- granddaughter.”

“I’ll… certainly try.”

“Goodbye, Luna.”

“Goodbye, Lilac.”

Luna watched with a sad smile as her old pupil walked into the Power Stone and vanished in an array of glimmering sparkles.

“Oh, hello there, little one! What’s your name?” Lilac’s voice echoed from inside. “Gem? Oh, my! What a lovely name! And so beautiful! I’m sure your parents will be very proud!”

Princess Luna turned around and started to walk away. But as she did, she heard Lilac’s voice again.

“Luna?”

The Princess of the Night whipped back around. An image of Lilac appeared on the Power Stone’s reflective surface.

“One more thing… despite what you may think, I’ve never fully left you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… why did you think that that old candle in our studying wing in the Canterlot Archives has burned brightly for the past thousand years, never having gone out in all that time?”

“…My sister said that she was the one who lit a spell on that candle to keep it burning indefinitely.”

“Well then, Celestia is still a brilliant liar! Did she also construct a lie to tell you why one of the stars in your night sky always shines by itself, without any input from you?”

…

“Lilac…”

“I’ve always been watching you, Luna. And I always be.”

Her image finally disappeared from the Power Stone, and Luna turned to walk back once more. Now, she was exerting a much happier expression.

“Always and forever.”

---

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were up and at ‘em in their makeshift wagon-scooter combo, racing down the streets of Ponyville as the sun started to set.

“So, it looks like we haven’t gotten our Cutie Marks in alchemy…” Apple Bloom started.

“Or DJ’ing,” added Scootaloo.

“Or skydiving,” they both said.

“But ah just had a bright idea!” said Apple Bloom. “What if… now, hear me out on this one… CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SHELF DUSTERS!”

“Uh… no offense, but that just sounds kind of lame,” said Scootaloo. “How many great stories have you ever seen that start off with three little ponies… dusting shelves? Besides, all that dust could end up flying right into my nose.”

The Crusaders stopped in front of Twilight’s house.

“I’m sure we’ll think of something eventually,” Sweetie Belle assured as she stepped out. “But thanks for dropping me off here, guys. Bye!”

“Catch ya later, Sweetie Belle!” said Scootaloo.

“Good luck on yer date!”

“Blecch!” said Scootaloo.

---

Spike was inside his and Twilight’s room, gazing upwards at the beautiful sapphire. Sweetie Belle came in from downstairs.

“Hey there, handsome. Ready to go to Sugarcube Corner for milkshakes?”

“You bet, beautiful!”

They made a loving peck as Spike got up off the bed. Just then, the sapphire started gleaming in the sunset again, and they both had to cover their eyes once more.

“Wow. I really, really need to move that thing,” Spike laughed.

“Yeah.”

“It’s still just as beautiful as the day you gave it to me, though. What a crazy day that was.”

“Yeah…”

---

Spike and Sweetie Belle both came down the stairs as Twilight sat at her writing desk with Pinkie Pie.

“Bye, Twilight!” said Spike. “I’ll be back soon so I can send that letter for you!”

“Alright! See you later, Spike!”

“Bye, Pinkie Pie!” Sweetie called.

“Later, alligator!”

Once they left, both Twilight and Pinkie smiled at each other, as Pinkie nuzzled up her neck.

“By the way…” said Twilight, trying to hold in her giggling. “I never got a chance to ask, Pinkie. What was that whole thing with the ‘prophecies’ about, anyway?”

“Oh… boy, let me tell you, Twilight! You see… I was visiting this fortune teller one day while I was still settling into Ponyville. And this is what she told me…”

“Pinkie Pie! I see great events happening your future! Beware of the purple pony, with the red stripe in her hair! If ever you meet such a pony in your town, then it is fate! One day, you will find yourself falling in LOVE with said pony, and then together, you will save Equestria from the most wicked of all ponies: she who bears red in the face of death, and wears white after Labor Day.”

“But then I woke up, because it turned out that I had just been dreaming that the whole time!”

“Ugh. I really need to stop eating cold pizza before bed… BUT IT’S SO DELICIOUS!”

“So… THAT’S why you gasped and ran off as soon as you saw me the first time we met!” Twilight realized. “And… why you were always so eager to spend time with me and do nice things for me the entire time we’ve known each other!”

“Yup! Because when I saw you that day, I realized that the dream was true, and that all of those things were going to happen to me after all!”

“Does that mean… you actually knew from the very moment you met me that we were going to end up together?”

“Pretty much!”

“Did that fortune-teller in your dream say anything else about the future?”

“Well…” Pinkie pondered. “She did say something about you becoming an alicorn, and visiting a parallel dimension where everypony walks on two legs instead of four and Spike is a dog for some reason.”

“Tch! As if something like that’s ever going to happen.” Twilight went back to her letter, but then she had an idea. “Say… Pinkie, would you like to help me write this letter to Princess Celestia, about all the things I’ve learned about love?”

“Ehh… no thanks,” she declined, shaking her head. “I already wrote her a letter at the end of the first story, so I think it would be a wee bit repetitive if I was to write her another letter in this one.”

Twilight blinked several times. “…What?”

“Hey, I had to squeeze in at least one fourth wall joke in this trilogy or else it’s just not done properly, riiiight Douglas?”

…

Don’t talk to me.

“You’re odd sometimes, Pinkie,” said Twilight. “But that’s what I love about you.” She leaned over and kissed Pinkie on the cheek. But then Pinkie grabbed her by the cheeks and planted a BIG one. Her long ambitions, all the painful waiting, and the prophecies left to fulfill. They were all finally rewarded.

As they kissed, Pinkie bat one eye open at the audience, and lowered down a projector screen to obscure the view.

---

Rainbow Dash, looking particularly melancholy, walked up to the orchard gate as she watched the scene at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack and Caramel were standing in front of the barn together.

Applejack seemed to have already gotten to business confronting her, because now Caramel was hanging her head down in shame. Her Stetson lay on the ground between them.

After some hesitation, Caramel removed the hair ties, allowing her long, luxurious hair and tail to flow freely in the breeze. She also removed her nose piece and eyelash suppressers.

Now her true appearance was made apparent to her marefriend. Applejack just kept looking at her solemnly.

“Why did ya do it, sugarcube?”

“I… I thought that ya wouldn’t have accepted me,” she confessed, now allowing her distinct feminine voice to shine through. “I’ve heard tales about how traditional farm ponies are, how you folks stay stubborn towards all them new-age ideas, like… like mare-amorers.”

She wiped her eyes to clean off the tears that were falling down her face.

“I just-- I thought that this would be the only way I was ever going to have a chance with you.” She looked up at Applejack again, still fighting back the tears. “I… I always had a feeling it weren’t right, and it got so hard to keep up the charade, but… I didn’t want to lose you. Because I love you, Applejack. I always have. I’ve watched you from afar, but… you probably didn’t recognize me then.”

Caramel turned herself around, facing away from her love.

“Applejack… if ya don’t want to date me anymore, now that you’ve seen who I really am, then that’s fine, but…” She forced herself to turn around, despite what a soggy mess her face was by now. “Can we still be friends?”

Applejack just looked down towards the ground, and kicked a rock on the ground. Finally, Caramel watched and gasped, as she closed her eyes… and turned herself away from Caramel.

“Come on, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash urged from afar. “Don’t do this…”

But Applejack remained turned away.

“Well… okay then.”

And so, Caramel turned around and began walking away herself. She was almost on her way to the gate… when a hoof touched her on the shoulder, and stopped her.

“…Applejack?”

“Honey…  Ah don’t care whether you’re a stallion or a mare at all.”

“You… ya don’t?”

“No. In fact…” She sighed. “Ah care more that you lied to me than anything. Honesty is something ah value deeply in a friend, and even more so in a special somepony. Comes with the element and all, ya get what ah’m sayin’?”

“Yeah… I’m sorry. I should’ve been more honest from the start. So… does that you mean… you really do still want to date?”

“Of course.” She cemented her feelings with a sweet hug. “Ya know why? ‘Cause no matter what y’all look like on the outside… on the inside, you’re still the same pony ah fell in love with three months ago.”

“You mean it?”

“Will this convince ya?”

Caramel’s cheeks flushed a deep red as Applejack kissed her. While she initially stood there stunned, Caramel eventually eased into it, and closed her eyes as the two became content in the passion of it all.

Rainbow Dash nodded, looking on with a sad smile, as they pulled away and smiled at each other. But then they were interrupted as they noticed two ponies standing next to them, taking notes.

“Hey dude, are you getting all of this down?”

“Yeah, bro. Got the kiss and everything!”

“Sweet.”

“Hey uh, fellas…” Applejack turned to them, looking a bit annoyed. “Look, ah know y’all are supposed to be Rainbow’s ghostwriters for her autobiography on how she ‘became the Wonderbolt she is today’. And ah appreciate y’all making the effort of following us all the way through Trotzamore and even listening to my side of the story as ah debunked all of Rainbow’s lousy tall tales. But… ya think you can just leave now? You’re sorta cuttin’ it a bit personal.”

“But Miss Applejack, what about the make-up se--”

AH SAID SCRAM, YA VARMINTS!”

The other one sniffed. “Okay.”

So they both left the scene, moping to themselves.

“Well, now that that’s all biscuits and gravy, ah’d sure like a chance to meet the real Caramel. How does supper at that fancy Chez le Pâtes Fantaisie place sound?”

“Sure.”

Rainbow Dash hid behind a bush barrel as Applejack and Caramel stepped out. She was so busy watching them walk past that she didn’t notice Cherry Jubilee walk up next to her.

“Hey.”

“AAAHHH!” Rainbow flew up into the air in shock, and then clung to the bush when she saw who it was. “Oh, no! Cherry Jubilee! I swear, I didn’t mean to tell her! We were facing death by flytraps and I thought I was going to be done for! It was in the spur of the moment! DON’T CLIP MY WINGS OFF AND TOSS ME INTO A CHERRY GRINDER!”

“Cherry grinder? Why sugar, I don’t even know what I would do with a cherry grinder! Unless you’re supposin’ I make some cherry sauce with it or somethin’! Hmm, cherry sauce…”

“Uhh…”

“What I was about to say was, I actually came here to thank you.”

“I-- Huh?” Rainbow stopped cowering, and though still gazing at her with suspicion, jumped down. “Thank me?”

“Yeah…” she replied. There was a look of guilt on her face. “Right after you left, I began to realize… It wasn’t right at all for my cousin to be doing this, and pressurin’ ya into keeping it a secret from her. Applejack is right. If you can’t be honest with the one you love, then how can they ever trust you? So, if it wasn’t you… it was probably gonna be me who told her in the end.”

“So what, we’re cool now?” asked Rainbow.

Cherry Jubilee watched Applejack and Caramel strolling by.

“Well, they sure seem happy now, so I s’pose,” she said, beginning to walk away. “Looks like honesty really is the best policy after all.”

“Yeah… Hey, wait up!” Rainbow spread her wings to catch up with Cherry. “So… you and Caramel are cousins?”

“Ehh... twice removed, but yeah,” She smiled coyly at Rainbow. “Why, did ya think we were something else?”

“Uhhh… no.”

Miss Jubilee giggled. “You’re a strange one, Rainbow Dash. Here’s hoping our paths cross again sometime.” She gave Rainbow a gentle peck on the cheek and ran up to join Applejack and Caramel. “Cherry sauce… Now there’s an idea,” she muttered to herself.

Rainbow stood there for a while, rubbing her cheek with a soft blush on her face.

---

Dear Princess Celestia,

If you don’t mind, I’d like to change up things a little bit for this letter. I know I usually write to you about friendship, but these past three months, I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit about a particular other subject… love.

Love is a strange and unique form of magic all on its own. I’m beginning to think we might never be able to understand it fully. I mean, it can often come out of nowhere, right when you least expect it. Sometimes, it’s with a stranger you don’t know. Other times, it could be something you’ve known for a long while, and you might not even realize right away when you’re in love.

“I love you, Rarity.”

“I love you too, Fluttershy.”

“I love you so much…"

Sometimes, love can even change your entire viewpoint, and make you do things that surprise even yourself in the end.

“Congratulations, you two,” said Rarity as she approached the newly married Lyra and Bon Bon.

“Yes. You two are going to make such a great couple.”

“Thanks, girls,” said Bon Bon. “WHOA!”

“Yeah, it means a lot,” said Lyra as she picked up Bon Bon and held her in her arms.

“Aren’t they just perfect for each other?”

Even children can fall in love. They see it coming even less, but it’s still nothing short of a magical moment when they both realize.

“I have to tell you something!” Sweetie Belle and Spike both proclaimed at the same time. “What? You go first. No, you. No, you! NO, YOU!”

They both grunted in frustration, before finally…

“I LOVE YOU!”

...

“WHAT?!”

“B-but, I thought you loved Rarity! I saw you with that note! And then you thought it was from Rarity! I HEARD YOU!”

“I-I only said that because… because I saw the handwriting and thought it was written by her. But the real truth is… ever since you gave me that gem, I’ve been thinking a lot. About who I love more. And just today, I decided… that it’s you. I love you, Sweetie Belle.”

“Spike…”

“But, I don’t understand,” he began. “How long have you—”

“Oh, just kiss me now, Spike!”

And regardless of what some ponies may think, young love really can make an impact, and last all the while. Being in a relationship takes a certain amount of maturity, and both sides have a huge responsibility and commitment to hold when they pair up.

“Yeah, paranoid. You’re right, I overreacted. I became so paranoid that I even thought if I just tried to stay away from you, I could keep our love from ‘fading away’ any further. That was so dumb of me, all I did was help it fade … And I really am sorry, Spike.”

“Yeah…” said Spike, now rubbing his arm in guilt. “I’m sorry, too. When you started avoiding me, I took that as a sign that meant you didn’t care about me anymore, and I didn’t even ask you first. I just… assumed that.”

But most importantly… I learned that love is one of the most beautiful things out there. Sometimes, we stop and wonder why ponies treat falling in love as one of the greatest feelings in the world. And we don’t understand why until we’ve finally found that special somepony for ourselves.

Life seems to become magical when you’re in love, and that happens for a reason. Love is an extremely powerful thing, and against all odds, sometimes when you’re in love, everything in this wicked world just seems a whole lot better. And you feel like you can soar through the sky, and defeat any evils in your way.

“This is it, Pinkie Pie. Are you ready?”

“Twilight Sparkle… I’ve always been ready.”

They slowly leaned into it, and then finally… their lips locked in tight. Tears flew in both directions when Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie finally met lips. Pinkie Pie hugged Twilight by the neck. Tears were running endlessly down both of their cheeks, falling off their faces and back down into Trotzamore.

Great flares of magic began appearing. They popped all around Twilight and Pinkie like fireworks in the sky, making shapes of books, candies, pastries, and writing utensils.

The magical wave cast by Trotzamore came to a direct halt, and was sucked back in to Twilight and Pinkie, the center of it all. Twilight’s horn glowed wildly, and with a loud bang, it began casting a pink and red magic that coursed through the entire land of Equestria.

Almost as magically as when I first discovered friendship almost two years ago, I’ve finally opened my heart, and allowed to speak loud and clear. No more suppression. No more hiding and pretending. No more aloneness. I… am content. Everything is going to be fine.

A new scene was shown now, that of Twilight and Pinkie eating a box of chocolates together on a picnic.

“Hey, Twilight!” said Pinkie. “I think you got a little bit of chocolate on your face.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Right… THERE!”

“AAUGH!”

“Hee-hee! Hurray! I finally got to FRENCH KISS you!”

“Pinkie, you are so random!” Twilight giggled.

I’m glad to hear that things are calming down now. It’ll be nice to finally see some peace return to Equestria after everything that’s happened. Let’s just hope Discord won’t break out again anytime soon, or another mare gets corrupted by a radioactive gem and decides to turn Equestria into a sex empire.

…Forgive me if I sound like I’m tempting fate.

Anyway, so this is the end of my letter. I’m really happy at how wonderfully everything is working out, and I hope I can continue to write more letters to you about my adventures in friendship and perhaps even more about romance. Until then… there’s only one more thing I can think of to say.

Love prevails. Always and forever.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

P.S. Ooh! Ooh! Hey, princess! It’s me, Pinkie Pie! I wanted to write you this super secret message while Twilight is going to the bathroom! You see… I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about you lately, saying that you have a secret special somepony too, and that it’s a mare! So… is it true? Huh? Huh? HUH? Come on, you can tell me! I promise I won’t tell anypony else, and that’s a secret that I WILL keep!

Also, I’m hungry. I wonder if Twilight has any snacks in her fridge?

---

“And that’s the end of it.”

“Mmmm, what a wonderful letter,” Celestia reflected. “Ravenport, if you don’t mind… do you think you can read that to me again? In your lovely, serene voice?”

The white mare with her brown hair in a bun, whom Celestia had been speaking to in the Lilac Candescence Wing earlier, was now sitting at the armrest of Celestia’s throne, reading the letter from Twilight. She smiled and nodded, adjusting her glasses.

“Of course I can, Celly…”

---

Later that day, Rainbow Dash found herself walking alone back down the road to Ponyville. Celly’s-- I mean, Celestia’s sun was setting fast, and it was going to get dark soon.

She was all alone.

“This is just great!” She lamented, an immense tone of frustration in her voice. “So at the end of this whole stupid journey, everypony else has found love BUT ME!”

In her anger, she kicked a rock up into the air. It flew right over the trees.

“When am I finally going to get my chance? It didn’t used to bother me as much, but right now, it feels like I’m the ONLY mare in the whole world who hasn’t ever had a single special somepony of my own!” She spread her wings and lifted off the ground. “Do I have to fly around and wait for my dream pony to just FALL right out of the sky!?”

-BOOOOOOM-

Just then, there was a mighty crash from afar that seemed to rock the whole land.

“Wh-what was that?”

Rainbow immediately took to the skies and soared over the forest to see where the noise had come from. Finally, she was able to make out an unconscious pegasus right at the edge of the Everfree Forest.

“OH MY GOSH! Don’t worry, I’ll save you!”

Rainbow Dash dove like a bolt of lightning, and slowed herself as she landed right next to the pony that had crashed. She gasped as soon as she saw who it was.

“Ohhhh, I think I’m gonna be sick.” The light-blue stallion lifted his head and immediately noticed Rainbow. “Hey-- Hey, I know you! You’re… the pony who won the Best Young Flier competition, and saved my pie at the Grand Galloping Gala. Rrrrrrrainbow Dash, right?”

“S-S-S…Soarin from the Wonderbolts!?”

“Owww…”

He tried to stand, but his legs gave out on him, and he unfortunately tumbled back to the ground.

“Careful, you’re hurt! What the heck happened?”

“Oh… I don’t know. I was practicing a new trick, but it didn’t seem to work out so well. I thought that maybe if I angled the trajectory of my wings a bit after doing a loop-de-loop, I would make a much clearer landing with the big tornado sweep.”

“Heh-heh, yeah, I’ve been there before…” Rainbow laughed.

“Then out of nowhere, some rock flew up and hit me right on the noggin!” Rainbow’s eyes went wide, and she started looking nervous. “Before I knew it, I lost my mojo and… ended up falling here.”

“Ohhh. Here, let me help you up so we can get you to a doctor,” said Rainbow.

She rubbed her hooves together and started picking Soarin up off the ground. Finally, despite his heavy weight, she was able to lift him up onto her back.

“For all we know, you could’ve fractured a leg or something.”

“Oh… thank you so much, Rainbow Dash,” Soarin said gracefully. “First you saved my pie, and now you’re saving me… again. Is there no end to your amazing heroics?”

Rainbow Dash’s cheeks blushed brightly as she smiled back at him. As she began carrying him out of the forest, and towards the hospital, she heard a noise above her.

Fluttershy was flying up in the air above them. Rainbow waved up to her, getting her attention. She nudged her head towards Soarin and gave a knowing wink. Fluttershy winked back and continued flying… now with a huge smile on her face.

As the two of them went down the path and towards the horizon, Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and gazed up at Soarin’.

“So, um… if the doctor decides that you need to stay here in Ponyville for the night, would you like to crash at my place?”

“Sure. That would be swell. You really don’t mind? I mean, I don’t want to be a burden or anything…”

“No, it’s cool. All my friends are probably busy for the night, so I’m not expecting anyone.”

“Oh? You’re not dating anypony at the moment?”

“Nah, but hey. There’s plenty of stallions in the sea, right?” she remarked with a sly smile on her face.

“O-Oh! I… I didn’t know you were into stallions. For some reason, um… what was her name? Uhh-- Uhh-- SPITFIRE! Spitfire and I always just assumed that you were a, uh… a mare-amorer,” Soarin’ suddenly began stammering.

“Yeah, just about everypony seems to think that for some reason…”

~FIN~